The young forward had been talking about the greats of Brazil’s recent past, and how he wants to emulate the likes of Romario and - above all - Ronaldo at this World Cup. It was also a sudden break with the party line, given that Neymar had spent the press conference’s previous 15 minutes insisting that individual accolades do not matter to him. Up to then, the Barcelona attacker had expertly echoed his manager’s preachings about the importance of the collective: “Nobody plays alone. We are 11 players on the pitch and others on the bench.”

You wouldn’t guess that from the overbearing attention on Neymar in the build-up, not least in the fawning media exchange on the eve of the opening game against Croatia. He is the country’s great hope, the team’s defining player.

If Brazil as a whole are expected to bury the ghosts of the World Cup defeat to Uruguay in 1950, Neymar is explicitly charged with driving them to that victory by replicating the legends of the past. It was a common theme of the build-up. It is also quite a burden for a mere 22-year-old.

You wouldn’t have guessed that, however, from his demeanour. Neymar wavered between outright bullishness and innate breeziness, switching from declarations that Brazil would definitely win to jokes with his manager.

It was also that sense of relaxation that led to his slight slip, and revealed one of the remaining issues with his game and career. Just as Neymar could not continue to deny he has personal ambitions at this tournament, he cannot yet eradicate an erratic individualism to his game. It was one cause of an underwhelming first season with Barcelona (along with a whole lot of controversy about his transfer) and something Scolari has clearly been working hard to counter.

All-time World Cup XI

All-time World Cup XI

1/11
Lev Yashin

Yashin played in three World Cups for the Soviet Union, helping them to two quarter-finals in 1958 and 1962 and a fourth-placed finish in 1966. He was the first and only goalkeeper to win the European Footballer of the Year award in 1963.

2/11
Carlos Alberto

Best known for his stunning rocket-shot in the final of his first and only World Cup against Italy in 1970, the Brazilian pioneered the roving full-back role which would be much emulated - but seldom matched - in decades to come.

3/11
Paolo Maldini

Maldini played in three World Cups for Italy as both a left-back and centre-back and although he retired trophyless in 2002, after 126 international appearances, his status as one of the game's greatest defenders was secured.

4/11
Bobby Moore

Cited by no less than Pele as the greatest defender he has ever played against, loyal West Ham man Moore left his indelible mark on English football history by captaining the nation to victory on home soil in 1966.

5/11
Franz Beckenbauer

The undisputed great of German football, Beckenbauer made over 100 appearances for the national team. He played in three World Cups and found success in his final outing, when Germany beat Holland to win the title in 1974.

6/11
Johan Cruyff

The great Dutch playmaker produced a series of dazzling performances to lead his nation to the 1974 final, where they were narrowly beaten by Germany. Cruyff was also voted European Footballer of the Year three times.

7/11
Garrincha

The brilliant, elusive 'Little Bird' inspired Brazil to two World Cup wins in 1958 and 1962. Garrincha scored four goals in the later stages of the 1962 competition and his displays on the right flank earned him the Player of the Tournament accolade.

8/11
Zinedine Zidane

Zidane hit the heights in the 1998 World Cup final when he scored two goals to help France claim the trophy on home soil. But his career ended in ignominy when he was sent off in the 2006 final for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi.

9/11
Lionel Messi

Considered a natural successor to Diego Maradona, the talismanic Argentinian made his World Cup debut in 2006 and went on to almost single-handedly haul his team to the quarter-finals in 2010, where they lost to Germany.

10/11
Diego Maradona

Love him or loathe him, few would argue Maradona does not deserve his place in the game's pantheon. Maradona played four World Cups and hit the heights in 1986, when a pair of wonder goals against England and Belgium propelled Argentina to the title.

11/11
Pele

Starting with a series of stunning performances as a 17-year-old in 1958, and culminating in the starring role in Brazil's magnificent winning team in 1970, Pele underlined his status as one of the game's all-time greats many times over.

The Brazilian manager knows such a young man is seen as a symbol, but wants that to work in a more beneficial way, for both himself and the team. This is why he seemed to react to Neymar’s line about replicating the greats. It was as if Scolari was chiding someone so young for having that extra arrogance to compare himself to those who really have done it, to really have completed the collective. He is not Ronaldo yet. He needs to really show it first.

Scolari attempted to portray that he was only going to swipe the player’s trademark hairstyle, to make a joke out of that, but the intention of the action seemed clear. He was bringing Neymar back in line.

The manager wants him to be a symbol in a different way; to be the ultimate example of how everyone is prepared to compromise themselves for the collective.

“He doesn’t specialise in marking but sometimes he does try, in order to give his contribution to the whole team,” Scolari said, back on message.

That message is all the more important given that the Brazil camp are so clearly attempting to include the country’s various protestors in the atmosphere around the team, and preach a spirit of true togetherness.

Although Scolari and Neymar were not directly asked about the ongoing civil unrest, the manager seemed to implicitly reference it in his opening statement.

“For all Brazilians, I want to say our time has arrived,” Scolari proclaimed. “We want to go together. This is our World Cup.

Of course, there’s one way that Neymar can start to make that come true: by scoring or setting up the goal against Croatia that unites the country in joy.